Minister of transport explains FG plans to revatilize the rail lines in Nigeria

Minister for transport Rotimi Ameachi has reiterated the federal government resolve to establishing an alternates and efficient transportation system. The Minister who stressed this move by his ministry at a town hall meeting organized by the ministry of culture, information and tourism  held in Lagos stated the dire need for alternate route of transportation in the country so as to reduce the number of road traffic burden in terms of conveying of finished goods after production from one location to the other.

The Minister who noted that the establishment of rail way lines in the country will not only serves as a means of economy growth but it will serves Nigerians better as a greater means of efficient transportation while noting the need for the revitalization of this sector policy of the economy so as to increase the nations wealth.

“The first railway contract in the revitalisation policy was awarded by former president Olusegun Obasanjo that is railway from Lagos to Kano; the next one was awarded by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Lagos to Calabar"

The Minister who reveals that in all of these signed revitalization policy agreement with the various successive government by the Chinese, there was a counterpart funding of 15percent which obviously did not met the specification of these agreement

“The only place they tried a bit was the Abuja, Kaduna and Kano, which is yet to be completed; and we are working extremely hard to ensure that between June and July we would commercialize that rail line.
 “And I assure that, by God’s grace, before the end of the year we would commence work on the Lagos – Kano rail line".
The Minister stated that this administration will ensure that all rail lines are connected to seaports as this will reduce drastically the burden on roads and the series of clogging on the Lagos seaports and terminals.

On the Itakpe- warri rail line, the minister stated that the FG is negotiating with a Chinese firm already who is willing and ready to take up this project along side the Ajaokuta steel plant saying that the Federal Government had commenced negotiation for the completion of the Itakpe-Warri rail line which had been abandoned for more than 32 years.

“We would carry it all from Itakpe down to Abuja and then down to the sea port in Warri; that entire solid mineral axis will be covered but we have also introduced passenger trains as well.
“We have not concluded negotiation with them, but when we do, we will handover to them.”

Rotimi Ameachi who also touched on the aviation sector as well as the Nigerian maritime sector explains what the federal government plan will be like as the administration surges on in the next four years. The Minister indicated his ministry's resolution to equipped the maritime sector so as to make it at par with her contemporary outside the shores of the land.